No matter what I am doing - voting, buying, etc. - I am constantly being locked out and have to refresh.

same here,game locking up after I cast first vote in the Gem Event, tired of loading issues and constant refreshing

Hey guys, this is a known issue being investigated.

Nonetheless it would be very helpful if you could submit a ticket (using the help tab above the game screen) providing as much information as you can and your device specifications so that the Vikings can investigate this thoroughly.

Thank you